Thomas Russell "Sonny" Williams

Thomas R. "Sonny" Williams and his wife Mary Pauline Williams (Atkins) moved to Chattanooga in 1958. They lived in a house trailer, with an added couple of rooms, located on the lot behind the gas company building which was located at 1930 Dayton Blvd. When the house trailer was put on the site, Robert Willson Williams hired one of the gas company customers (Mr. Dodd), who was a carpenter, to build the addition. Thomas Russell Williams was drafted to assume the position of “carpenter’s helper.” Mr. Dodd and Thomas Russell Williams built the additional structure during some very hot summer days.

The two children of Thomas R. "Sonny" Williams and Mary Pauline Williams (Atkins) are Thomas Russell Williams and David Rogerson Williams, both of whom were born in Shreveport, Louisiana. The family moved to Carthage, Texas when Thomas R. "Sonny" Williams began working for the Chicago Corporation in 1945. Thomas Russell Williams and David Rogerson Williams began visiting their Chattanooga grandparents (Robert Willson Williams and Marion Lee Williams (Russell) during summer school vacations in 1946. Thomas Russell Williams and David Rogerson Williams moved to Chattanooga in 1954 or 1955. They had completed the 7th and 8th grades, respectively. After a couple of years, David moved back to Carthage, while Tommy stayed the course.
Tommy graduated from high school in Chattanooga in 1957.